1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to sockets for integrated circuits. More particularly, the present invention relates to a socket having socket pins which include a connecting portion.
2. Description of Related Art
Integrated circuit technology is now in widespread use. Most integrated circuit components are fixedly soldered on or attached to a circuit board by SMT (i.e., surface mounted technology). However, the above method is not conducive to the replacement of integrated circuit components on the board, and cannot provide a readably extendible space for additional integrated circuit components. Furthermore, some components that are sensitive to static electricity or temperature extremes will be damaged in a soldering process that is required to mount the integrated circuit by SMT. Therefore, in most electronic apparatuses, such as personal computers, pin sockets are first fixed on the board for mounting the integrated circuit components. However, it is also difficult to connect components to an integrated circuit which is plugged into a socket fixed on the board because the connecting process has to be performed on the opposite side of the board. That is, the board must be dismounted from the console of the electronic apparatus during the process. As a result, the work becomes complex and difficult. Moreover, since the conventional pin socket is fixedly mounted on the board, the pin socket cannot offer any flexibility for programming the pins of the integrated circuit plugged thereinto.